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Shire of Christmas Island

 

 
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The Shire of Christmas Island is a Local Government Area
Local Government Areas of Western Australia

The States of Australia of Western Australia is divided into 142 Local Government Areas of Australia . Their mandate and operations are governed by the Local Government Act 1995....
 which manages local affairs on the Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
n external territory of Christmas Island
Christmas Island

The Territory of Christmas Island is a Territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, Western Australia, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
 (; post code: 6798). The island is grouped with Western Australia
Western Australia

Western Australia is a States and territories of Australia occupying the entire western third of the Australia . The nation's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.1 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state....
 but is administered by the Attorney-General's Department and an Administrator.

It covers an area of 136.7 kmē in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by Asia ; on the west by Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean ....
 about 2,360 km north-west of Perth
Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the List of Australian capital cities and largest city of the Australian States and territories of Australia of Western Australia. With a population of 1,554,769 , Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation's cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national average....
 and 500 km south of Java
Java

Java is an island of Indonesia and the site of its Capital city, Jakarta. Once the centre of powerful Hindu kingdoms, The spread of Islam in Indonesia , and the core of the colonial Dutch East Indies, Java now plays a dominant role in the economic and political life of Indonesia....
 in Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
. It has a population of 1,448 (ABS 2001).

island was previously a British territory administered through Singapore
Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country microstate located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands....
 but was transferred to Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 in 1945.






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The Shire of Christmas Island is a Local Government Area
Local Government Areas of Western Australia

The States of Australia of Western Australia is divided into 142 Local Government Areas of Australia . Their mandate and operations are governed by the Local Government Act 1995....
 which manages local affairs on the Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
n external territory of Christmas Island
Christmas Island

The Territory of Christmas Island is a Territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, Western Australia, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
 (; post code: 6798). The island is grouped with Western Australia
Western Australia

Western Australia is a States and territories of Australia occupying the entire western third of the Australia . The nation's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.1 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state....
 but is administered by the Attorney-General's Department and an Administrator.

It covers an area of 136.7 kmē in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by Asia ; on the west by Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean ....
 about 2,360 km north-west of Perth
Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the List of Australian capital cities and largest city of the Australian States and territories of Australia of Western Australia. With a population of 1,554,769 , Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation's cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national average....
 and 500 km south of Java
Java

Java is an island of Indonesia and the site of its Capital city, Jakarta. Once the centre of powerful Hindu kingdoms, The spread of Islam in Indonesia , and the core of the colonial Dutch East Indies, Java now plays a dominant role in the economic and political life of Indonesia....
 in Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
. It has a population of 1,448 (ABS 2001).

History

The island was previously a British territory administered through Singapore
Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country microstate located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands....
 but was transferred to Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 in 1945. After 1958, it was managed by the Christmas Island Assembly and Christmas Island Services Corporation.

On 1 July 1992, the Federal Government
Government of Australia

The Australia is a federation constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement between six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states....
's Territories Law Reform Act came into place, applying Western Australia
Western Australia

Western Australia is a States and territories of Australia occupying the entire western third of the Australia . The nation's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.1 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state....
n law to the island. An ordinance subsequently created the Shire of Christmas Island out of a merger of the two previous entities. The first elections were held in May 1993.

The shire's offices are located at George Fam Centre, Murray Road, Christmas Island
Christmas Island

The Territory of Christmas Island is a Territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, Western Australia, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
.

Demographics

The shire has around 1,200 residents consisting mostly of ethnic Chinese
Ethnic Chinese

Ethnic Chinese may be:*Han Chinese, the dominant ethnic group in China, makes up for more than 90% of China's population*Overseas Chinese, people of Chinese birth or descent living outside of China, generally assumed to be part of the above Han group...
, Malay
Malay people

Malays are an ethnic group of Austronesian peoples predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, and the smaller islands between these locations....
s, and people of European descent. The main languages spoken are English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
, Malay
Malay language

The Malay language is an Austronesian languages spoken by the Malays and people of other ethnic groups who reside in Peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand, Singapore, central eastern Sumatra, the Riau Islands and parts of the coast of Borneo....
, and Mandarin Chinese. Some residents speak other Chinese dialects. About 60% of the population speaks Chinese
Chinese language

Chinese or the Sinitic language is a language family consisting of language mutually unintelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the two branches of Sino-Tibetan languages of languages....
 at home, 20% speak Malay at home, and 20% speak English or another European language at home.

Wards

The shire has 9 councillors and no wards.

Education

Christmas Island District High School
Christmas Island District High School

Christmas Island District High School is a school located in Christmas Island, a territory of Australia. The school serves approximately 380 students from Kindergarten through to Year 12....
 is the school on Christmas Island. Until the end of 2002 the school was a K-Year 10 school; previously all post-compulsory levels (Year 11 and Year 12) studied in Perth
Perth

Perth may refer to:* Perth, Scotland, the administrative centre of the Perth and Kinross council area; the original Perth, after which the others are named...
, Western Australia
Western Australia

Western Australia is a States and territories of Australia occupying the entire western third of the Australia . The nation's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.1 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state....
. Year 11 enrollment began in 2002, and by 2005 Years 11 and 12 had been established at the school. Christmas Island students have the option to remain on the island or study in Perth.

The shire includes a public library for residents. The library has regular book exchanges with the State Library of Western Australia
State Library of Western Australia

The State Library of Western Australia consists of the State Reference Library and the J S Battye Library within the building known as the Alexander Library Building in Northbridge, Western Australia in Western Australia....
.

External links